Manoj Bajpayee, a titan of the acting world, continues to face the stark reality of an imbalanced salary structure. In a recent interview, he bared his soul about the financial disparities when it comes to roles like in ‘The Family Man 3’, where his earnings don’t align with those of leading actors.

Manoj Bajpayee has been proving his mettle in this industry since the beginning of his career by delivering classic performances one after another. However, even after that, he had expressed being “underpaid” as compared to stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, back in 2023. Now, in a recent interview, the actor was asked if he got a better paycheck for ‘The Family Man 3’. Here’s what he has to say.

Manoj Bajpayee reveals if he still feels like ‘Sasta mazdoor‘

In an interview with India Today, Manoj Bajpayee was asked if he was paid better for the third installment of his popular web series, ‘The Family Man’. The actor replied, “Humme chahey jitney bhi miley, humme utney nahi miltey (Whatever we get will not be as much as that).”The versatile actor further shared, “We don’t get that much, what you read about stars getting in the news. We continue to struggle for better money; sangharsh jaari hai (the battle for the same is still ongoing).”Then the actor was asked if he has a feeling of being a “Sasta mazdoor (cheap labor)” or if things have changed in life after recent success in work. Bajpayee shared, “Nothing (has changed).” He joked, “MGNREGA lag gaya hai humpe (I’m under the MGNREGA scheme).”However, the actor acknowledged that things are a bit better than before.

Manoj Bajpayee reveals working for a small amount to satisfy the artist inside him

In the same interview, the actor also shared that he did several movies for a very small amount so that the producers could make them. Citing ‘Jugnu’ as the example of such a movie, he said, “If they had given me that money, how would they have made that film? We have to let things go if we have to satisfy the artist in us and also push great films.”The actor said, “I have worked on many small films and taken a fee according to their budget, because I believe in their storytelling and passion.”Manoj Bajpayee concluded, saying that when he says yes to any project, he would never back out from it.

More about ‘The Family Man 3’

Manoj Bajpayee is back for the third time as Srikant Tiwari in the show. It also stars Jaideep Ahlwat, Nimrat Kaur, Sharib Hashmi, Priyamani, and more. The show has already premiered on an OTT platform recently.